The invention relates to an input apparatus and a method for acoustic command input to an elevator installation with an elevator control consisting of a unit for the reception and conversion of the acoustic commands and a display unit for the visualization of the acoustic command input.
There has become known from the U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,341, an elevator installation in which the travel commands to the floors can be input acoustically. A microphone and indicator lamps for the acoustically input travel commands are arranged in the proximity of the elevator entrance. So that speech recognition can be guaranteed, a distance sensor detects the presence of an elevator user within a specific distance from the microphone. The correct distance from the microphone is indicated to the elevator user by means of check lamps. The travel command acoustically communicated to the system by the elevator user is evaluated by a speech recognition unit and converted into an electrical signal corresponding to the desired floor and visualized at the indicator lamps. The travel commands can also be input manually by means of call buttons.
A disadvantage of the known equipment resides in the fact that the acoustic travel command input is possible only in the proximity of the elevator installation and only within a specific distance from the elevator entrance. The travel command input must be dealt with at just the place where the most interfering noise caused by the voices of the other elevator users arises. Erroneous evaluations of the speech recognition unit and thus an inadequate efficiency of the elevator installation are the consequence.